quilts and more quilts

DS2 has been pestering me to learn to sew. Yesterday, since we were off school for teacher in-service, I gave in.

We started with a small pillow (a 'babysitter' in my family's parlance) and it's lovely. Then he got ambitious, so he chose some fabric and we cut squares for a doll-size quilt to be about 18x24 inches. I chose 7 inch squares so there would be lots of room for seams.

Because I can't cut a straight line, we used the rotary cutter and I did a lot of the cutting.

So DS1 decided to get in on it and while DS2 started sewing, he started cutting out 6 inch squares to be about... 28x33 when he's done (6x5 times 6 inches minus seam allowance.... Whatever that makes). DS1 did a lot of the cutting without my help, so he made more goofs and had squares he couldn't use. But he did I great job and has his squares. DS2 did most of the sewing on his squares and I finished up for him.

Today, I had DS2 pin his quilt top with the batting and backing and DS1 started sewing. Apparently, it takes too long and is really booooring, so he did 2 of the 6 columns and I did one and the rest is for tomorrow. It's shaping up really well.

So far only one rotary cutter accident and it was shallow. Also only one sewing blunder that had to be unpicked and that one was mine - which showed the kids that even experienced sewistas (though i don't have that much experience and am not that great) make mistakes and it's OK.

And then I got out a quilt top I made a few years ago that never got attached to the batting and backing and started pinning. I need the rest of my pins - the ones that are currently in DS2's quilt. One of these days I'll finish it. Probably.